Antonio Conte could raid Chelsea again as Napoli enquire about ‘exciting’ Blues player

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Chelsea’s first-team player is now subject to interest from Italian club Napoli in the January transfer window.

Chelsea should aim to have a stress-free window this month because they’re moving in the right direction under Enzo Maresca and things are positive at Stamford Bridge.

There may be some logic behind allowing some players to leave the Blues squad to keep the group tight and competitive. In fairness, Maresca has tried his best to keep all his stars involved across various competitions.

• READ MORE: The three players who have to leave Chelsea in January including £200k-a-week international

Napoli enquire about Carney Chukwuemeka

According to TEAMtalk, Italian giants Napoli have made an enquiry about signing Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka.

It is explained that the Serie A club, who are managed by former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, are showing a “concrete interest” in Chukwuemeka.

The report says that the Blues have put their 21-year-old midfielder on the market in January because he’s fallen down the pecking order, making only five first-team appearances so far this season.

Apparently, the English youngster is keen to go play regularly elsewhere, so Chelsea are considering sending Chukwuemeka on loan this month with a buy option in any deal.

Chelsea have told both Chukwuemeka and Ben Chilwell they can leave as they look to trim the squad down in January.

Conte already raided Chelsea recently when Napoli signed Romelu Lukaku last summer. In 18 appearances this season, the Belgian striker has scored six goals and created five assists.

Carney Chukwuemeka may be the one who got away

It’s been challenging for supporters to watch Chukwumeka’s journey since he joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022. Therefore, it must be so frustrating for the player himself.

Todd Boehly described Chukwuemeka as “one of the most exciting young players in Europe” when Chelsea signed him, as quoted by the club’s official website.

At the age of 21, Chukwuemeka still has so much potential and his career ahead of him. It feels like he’s unlikely to get his shot in the current Chelsea set-up, but don’t be surprised if he ends up growing into a big success at a different club.

First of all, the attacking midfielder has been very unlucky with injuries during his time in West London. On top of that, he’s found it so difficult to force his way into contention since Maresca became the head coach in the summer, facing competition from the likes of Cole Palmer, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku.

Frank Lampard is a giant fan of Chelsea youngster Chukwuemeka. However, it feels like he needs to move elsewhere to unlock his potential and live up to his hype from his teenage days.